Dark Chocolate Fig and Rum Self Saucing Pudding
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
This recipe is my ultimate British/Irish inspired combination. It turns the idea of a figgy pudding on its head by adding chocolate and whiskey, then making it super-simple and self-saucing. Totally decadent and delicious!
Serves: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
250 grams good quality dried figs, halved and stalks removed
½ cup boiling water
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup Irish whiskey
100 grams butter, at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1¼ cups self-raising flour
⅓ cup good quality dark cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
Sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon butter
1½ cups boiling water
3 tablespoons whiskey
28 x 20cm (or equivalent) baking dish, greased
METHOD
Preheat oven to 160˚C.
Put the chopped figs in a bowl and cover with the boiling water. Stir in baking soda and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Add whiskey and leave it to sit for another 30 minutes to an hour.
Beat the butter with the sugar until pale and smooth. Add eggs and beat to combine.
Place rum and fig mixture in a food processor (don't drain beforehand) and blend to a thick, chunky paste. Add this to the egg mixture and beat briefly to combine. Sift in flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and fold together.
Spoon into the prepared dish and flatten out with the back of a spoon.
Sauce: Put the sugar, cocoa and butter in a jug and pour in boiling water. Whisk to melt the butter, then add the whiskey. Pour the sauce over the back of a tablespoon, all over pudding.
Bake for 45 minutes. Leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving in large wedges with the syrupy sauce spooned alongside and either softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

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